DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A SOLVENT-EXTRACTION TECHNIQUE FOR DETERMINATION OF CU-PTSM IN BLOOD

The partitioning of [Cu-67]Cu-PTSM between plasma and red blood cells (RBC) was investigated in vitro with human, rat, pig and dog blood. Significant inter-species variability is observed in the plasma/RBC partitioning of tracer, ranging from c. 75% association with plasma in human blood to only c. 35% association with plasma in dog blood. This inter-species difference results from selective association of the [Cu-67]Cu-PTSM tracer with human albumin. When [Cu-67]Cu-PTSM is mixed with human blood in vitro at 37-degrees-C the fraction of Cu-67-radioactivity that remains plasma-associated decreases with time, apparently due to the expected intracellular decomposition of the Cu-PTSM complex by RBC; however, this process is sufficiently slow that it should have limited influence on [Cu-62]Cu-PTSM biodistribution following intravenous injection. Octanol extraction of blood was found to be an effective technique for quantitating the amount of intact [Cu-67]Cu-PTSM complex in blood samples. When imaging with [Cu-62]Cu-PTSM, octanol extraction may be useful for determining the [Cu-62]Cu-PTSM content of arterial blood samples to establish a true radiotracer input function.